Three wins to Mene in jubilee athletics

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33966, 6 October 1975, Page 17

Three wins to Mene in jubilee athletics

A splendid run of 6.9 sec in the men’s 60 metres sprint by j tlie -New Zealand decathlon champion, Mene Mene, was among the highlights of the Christchurch Technical Amateur Athletic and Cross-Country Club's open jubilee track and field meeting at Queen Elizabeth II Park on Saturday .

Mene, looking very fit after a solid winter build-up, seemed unaffected by the rain and cold temperatures which spoiled the meeting He finished the short sprint comfortably ahead of two other leading Canterbury allro“njJers, Kevin Hickman and Roger Knaggs. Later. Mene also won the 100 metres in 11.3 sec. But he did not confine his activities to the track. He won the discus — banished a ong with other field events to the training area outside ne stadium — with a throw of 39.28 metres and finished second to Paul Dryden in the senior shot. Dryden, a young thrower of exceptional promise, won the_ event with a distance of 12.78 metres. However, it was in the senior hammer that he had most cause to be pleased. The New Zealand Games representative, Bernie Hariand, won the event with a throw of 54.62 metres but Dryden was not far behind with 51.06 metres — the best throw of his career so

Former champions

Also competing in the men’s hammer were two former New Zealand champions, Dave Leech and Maxi Carr. Carr, who first won the national crown in 1947, rolled back the years with an excellent throw of 44.96 metres. Leech, who won the' first of four national titles in 1952, also showed good form to record a best throw of 43.38 metres. The former Commonwealth Games champion, Valerie Young, was untroubled to win both the women’s shot and discus events. In the discus, her best throw was 43.10 metres. Her nearest challenger was Pauline Flynn, who recorded 30.40 metres. Mrs Young’s winning throw in the shot was 13.94 metres, which left her well clear of another Commonwealth Games representative, Sally Mene. returning to competition after

t a season off. She recorded ~ i 11.58 metres. e Two notable former competitors were Leslie Wilson, the 1964 S New Zealand pentathlon champion, and her younger sister, >• Leone Anderson, now of Welling-_ t ton. Mrs Wilson recorded 9.94 j metres for fourth and Miss An-j derson 8.49 metres for fifth. In the women's javelin, Mrs! 1 Mene, who holds the New Zealand resident record for this event, had to be satisfied with £ second place behind a young atht lete of considerable promise, . Barbara Green, whose winning throw of 35.62 metres was nearly 2 4 metres better than that of Mrs j Mene. s The New Zealand women’s 400 metres champion, Joanna Bec- ' kett. also had a good day, aly though clearly not extending j herself in the cold conditions. . She won the 60 metres in 7.6 sec, the 100 metres in 12.3 sec and the: 300 metres in 41.4 sec. r On each occasion, the former; 1 New Zealand pentathlon champion. Susan Burnside, was! runner-up. Miss Burnside, how-, t ever, plans to make her bid for I the Olympics next year in the long jump. j Kathleen Burt, Josephine a Steele and Lyn McLennan were - all prominent in the under-age II girls sprints. Miss Burt won the

11 under-18 60 metres in the smart time of 7.7 sec and the 100 metres in 12.5 sec. Miss Steele won the ■ 1300 metres in 44.75ec. 1 The senior men's 300 metres -.was easily won by the former . New Zealand junior champion, - Jeff Bailey, in 36.8 sec. 1 In the pre-veteran women s6O -1 metres, the place-getters were 'three athletes prominent only a ;.few years ago. The event was . won by Annette Horsnell in 8.5 i sec with a former New Zealand i long jump champion, Vivien . Grant (nee Gilmour), second and a former New Zealand 220 yards ' champion, Leone Adlin (nee ■ Hurrell), third. Mrs Horsnell, a i member of former New Zealand title winning relay teams, also I won the veteran women’s 100 . metres. Barbara Smith won the ; women's 600 metres in Imin 50.2 ’ sec from Joan Merrifield (neei ’ Gdanitz), a former national 400 < metres champion, and Mrs Grant. The men’s 600 metres went to* I Hickman in Imin 29sec with ; Murray Griggs a close second in ’ Imin 29.65ec. Kevin Hamilton led all the way ’ to win the 3000 metres, the 'long- : cst event on the programme. His time was Bmin 26.65ec. The • runner-up was the New Zealand i cross-country representative: : John Sheddan, in a leisurely j Bmin 54.65ec.